Nor, for that matter, is the fact that this preacher was young and handsome and charming and very, very married ... and did I mention that he also was charismatic, back when that word described a personality trait, not a secular genre?

Or that he went there at the personal invitation of Hugh Hefner himself?

The story actually is about a handful of preachers who, in my own subjective view, were the most interesting I have known during my near half-century in Lubbock. Elsewhere in these pages, The A-J is focusing on the past century. Those writers, bless their hearts, are harnessed to the facts of history.

My bases are things I saw, know for sure, or ... well, just have my own mind made up about. That's how all columnists work, no matter what they tell you.

THIS CITY HAS been blessed with more than its share of preachers of significance. But to me, four stick out above the others - some for what they did, at least one for what he both did and didn't do and a couple for ... well, just who they were.

In no particular order, I would name Dudley Strain of First Christian, Hardy Clemmons of Second Baptist, and Morris Sheats of Trinity Church.

The fourth, I'll get around to later.

Dudley and Hardy both were exceptional, both in the pulpit and as pastors of their flock. Sheats, a dynamic individual who took a church that was non-denominational - albeit heavily anchored to its Assembly of God roots - and made it the largest congregation in a town long dominated by Baptists, Methodists, Churches of Christ, Presbyterians - all the more conventional flavors.

Then, alas. Sheats suffered from the rigors of a political campaign that not only failed, but left his image marred in the process. He had run against Kent Hance in the Democratic Primary as both were hoping to fill the Congressional seat being vacated by the retiring icon, George Mahon.

Hance won, then went on to beat a guy named George W. Bush in the general election. Incidentally, to this day, the only political race Bush would ever lose was that one to Hance.

I CAUGHT UP with Bill Banowsky in Puerto Vallarta, where he has a home. I got his number from his lifelong bride who was at the couple's other house in Dallas. He loves it down there; she said she prefers being in Dallas, near their kids and grandchildren.

Much has happened to Banowsky that far overshadows the topic I had called about. He left his post as senior minister at Broadway Church of Christ to become president of Pepperdine College at the ripe old age of 31. From there, he went on to become president of Oklahoma University. He left OU to become CEO of the sprawling Gaylord corporation.

Now retired, he spends most of his time there on the western coast of Mexico, writing and reading and relaxing.

He took me through the long and remarkable trail that brought him there from Lubbock, where he spent five years at the Broadway church. Despite all his accomplishments during all the days since, the events of one January morning in 1968 are still at the front of his mind.

PLAYBOY MAGAZINE, under Hefner's direction, had launched a campaign that it said would identify the lifestyle of a changing culture in America. He called it The New Morality.

In Lubbock, Texas, Banowsky - a young fundamentalist preacher - called it hedonism, the philosophy that pleasure is the most important pursuit. Although not an admitted reader of the magazine, he was offended by the very premise.

"TWO GUYS ON my staff - Rex Vermillion and Jim Bevis - wanted me to debate Hefner on that topic. I at first was simply amused by their suggestion, then it became obvious that they weren't kidding."

Banowsky contacted Hefner and, to both his delight and surprise, he went for the idea. He invited Bill up to Chicago to discuss the matter face to face and, almost before he knew it, he was off to the Mansion. His wife agreed, but with one caveat:

"She insisted that I take this guy on my staff along with me," he chuckled

Now Mrs. B trusted her husband ... but given his age and ... well, like Ronald Reagan used to say, "trust everybody in the game but always cut the cards."

HEFNER, ADMITTING that he was no debater, assigned the late Anson Mount, who had the two oxymoronic titles of Sports Editor/Religion Editor, to represent the magazine.

The debate was held at 9 a.m. one Sunday morning in Lubbock Municipal Auditorium on the Tech campus.

Under ground rules established earlier during the meeting in Chicago, Banowsky's only advantage seemed to be the home court. And, face it: With a crowd consisting of more than a few college students ... well, Playboy did have its following.

In later years, Banowsky told me the other day, he would have two debates on two very significant topics and win them both. Measured for gravity, they both were much heavier than the debate in Lubbock which - at Hefner's insistence - would be titled, "It's a Playboy World."

AMONG MOUNT'S mistakes was to do something that every sports editor, even those employed by duller publications than his, knows is fatal: He not only underestimated his opponent, he also guessed wrong at what would be Banowsky's game plan.

Mount got the advantage of speaking last, both on his affirmation and the rebuttal.

If he had expected to be facing a ranting and raving and scripture shouting preacher, Mount was in for a shock.

Instead, he heard Banowsky connect eroding morality's influence on everything from the economy to public confidence and, further, to a nation's own self-image. He backed up his remarks with statistical data gathered from several countries, especially those in Scandinavia.

The scriptures he used were mainly to punctuate a point.

It didn't hurt that Banowsky's superior oratory skills, his personal charm and his calm and witty demeanor left his opponent in a pontifical lurch.

The debate started at the time Sunday School was happening at Banowsky's church about a half-mile away. When it ended, he dashed back to preach his regular weekly sermon.

Lubbock has had, during my years here, some exceptional preachers. But, in my opinion, Bill Banowsky was in a league of his own.

He probably still is.

BURLE PETTITis editor emeritus of The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. E-mail: burlepettit@sbcglobal.net with the word "column" in the subject line.